Troop Convention
by star143
Summary: The Lakewood Troop attend the annual Troop Convention in New York City. Hayley and Jake start to realize their feelings for each other.
1. Chapter 1

'This is so awesome!' Felix declared enthusiastically, 'me and my best friends off on a fun-filled weekend! We're _so_ staying up all night telling secrets!' Jake rolled his eyes ruefully at Hayley who chuckled. 'Alright Felix, we're excited about our first ever Troop annual convention too but you need to relax', she said kindly. Jake added, 'and I refuse to tell any secrets or braid anyone's hair!' Felix pouted in disappointment but gave in with good grace.

The Lakewood Troop were at the airport waiting while their Troop advisor Mr. Stockley checked all four of them in. They were flying to New York for the annual Troop Convention and were very excited. 'Here's Mr. Stockley', Jake stated as he stood up. 'Awesome!' squealed Felix as he ran over to Mr. Stockley and received his boarding pass. Jake grabbed his rucksack and rolled his eyes as he watched Hayley try to drag her giant suitcase behind her. 'Why did you pack so much?', he asked exasperatedly as he grabbed her bag too. 'I need all of this stuff!', Hayley exclaimed, 'and I can carry my own bag!' Jake smiled. _She's so pretty when she's mad at me, he thought. _'You can, but you won't. Now come on, let's get our boarding passes', he answered as he headed past her towards Mr. Stockley. Hayley sighed and followed.

The troop were all sitting in one row on the plane. Mr. Stockley took the aisle seat while Felix sat next to him. Jake and Hayley had a brief skirmish over the window seat which Jake won. He claimed his window seat with a satisfied smile. Hayley scowled at him as she took her seat in between he and Felix. _First he's so chivalrous taking my bag and next he fights with me for the window seat! He's so confusing, she thought._ Her annoyance was forgotten though as Mr. Stockley began to fill them in on past conventions and the fun which his previous troops had had.

The flight was a long one and soon Mr. Stockley had fallen asleep. Felix took this opportunity to present Jake and Hayley with the typed itinerary he had prepared for their trip. Jake and Hayley exchanged wary glances as Felix handed them the inch thick file each. For a moment there was silence as they rifled through the itinerary. Felix waited in anticipation. Jake was stunned and it appeared from Hayley's silence that she was too. 'You've planned our entire weekend right down to synchronised bathroom breaks!' he exclaimed incredulously. Felix nodded excitedly, 'Yup! That way we don't miss a second of each others company. Isn't it great?' he explained gleefully. Jake gave him a long look. Felix's smile faltered slightly. 'Hayley?' he questioned hopefully. Hayley was torn. She didn't want to hurt Felix but she did want to relax this weekend and just have a good time with the guys. An itinerary did not suggest relaxation to her. 'Sorry Felix, but I'm with Jake on this one. I really want to have a great time with you guys but I think we should just go with the flow and not over-plan it, ok?', she answered gently. Felix winced but submitted to the group decision. 'Well ok, I do tend to get over-excited', he admitted ruefully. Soon after he fell asleep against Mr. Stockley's shoulder.

Hayley turned to Jake and they both smiled widely. 'I'm just going to get rid of these while he's asleep', Jake said as he grabbed the itineraries and hid them behind the magazines in the pocket on the seat in front of him. Hayley giggled. 'Dude, we really dodged a bullet on that one. At ten o'clock tonight he had us in our P.J.s telling ghost stories under a blanket!', she laughed as Jake settled back into his seat. Jake groaned at the thought and laughed too. 'Well at least you managed to talk him out of it. Good job.', he complimented her. Hayley smiled happily, 'Thanks', she replied. They spent the next while chatting about school and the troop convention.

Felix woke up two hours later. He sat up straight to stretch his neck and looked to see if the others were awake. He smiled to see them both fast asleep. Hayley's head was resting on Jake's shoulder and he had his arm stretched securely around her. They both looked so peaceful and happy. 'Now why can't they get on that well when they're awake', he wondered quietly as he snapped a picture of them on his phone for his Convention scrapbook.


	2. Chapter 2

JPOV

I woke up feeling warm and comfortable. It took me a minute to realise why. Hayley was resting her head on my chest and my arm was wrapped around her holding her in place. _'Whoa! How did this happen?'_, I wondered. All I remember from before I fell asleep was talking to Hayley. We were getting on well, for once. Hayley and I seem to fight a lot, which is strange as she is totally my favourite person in the troop. Or even in my life. But I've never told her that as she thinks I'm lazy and unreliable.

I was jolted out of my musings by Hayley. She whimpered in her sleep and held onto my chest tighter. She seemed to be having a nightmare. I rubbed her back soothingly and spoke gently: 'Hayley, hey wake up. Its just a dream. Hayley.' She stirred and raised her head. 'Jake?', she asked in confusion. 'Hayley, we're still on the plane. You were having a bad dream', I explained. 'Oh', she answered. We both realised at the same moment that she was still leaning against my chest and I was still holding her. I moved my arm back quickly and she straightened up into her seat, her cheeks tinged pink. I straightened up too, flexing my shoulder. I was embarrassed too but tried not to show it as I rubbed my eyes exaggeratedly.

I looked over to find Felix watching the two of us suspiciously. He looked at something on his phone and back at the two of us. 'What's on your phone Felix?', I asked, hoping to distract him from the little scene he just witnessed. Felix grinned, 'Funny you should ask', he replied as he handed the phone to Hayley. She smiled at whatever she saw, then blushed slightly. I leaned in over her shoulder and understood why. I was looking at a picture of Hayley and me fast asleep and cuddled up to each other. I smiled too. We looked nice together. I decided to act like it was nothing though as Hayley only sees me as a friend, if that. 'Huh. This will be great for the scrapbook', I said brightly. 'No way! I'm drooling!', Hayley exclaimed. The tension broke and we spend the rest of the flight talking and joking as usual.

HPOV

Pretty soon we were landing in New York. My stomach tightened in anticipation as I leaned over Jake to look out the window as we flew in over the city. 'New York City is so beautiful', I squealed. Jake smiled at my excitement. 'This is going to be a great weekend. I'm so glad I joined the troop!', he exclaimed. He leaned over and shared a high five with Felix. 'Me too', I agreed as we high fived next.

We landed without any incidents and were soon picking up our bags. Jake carried my bag again. I just shrugged and followed the guys to the cab.

We all exclaimed in excitement when we saw our hotel. Its walls were lit up with neon lights and it was at least fifty stories high. 'This is so great!'. Jake whooped next to me. I grinned at him happily as we bounded into the hotel, leaving Mr. Stockley to pay the cab driver. The hotel lobby was teaming with teenagers- the other troops I guessed. Felix turned to Jake and leered suggestively. 'It just occurred to me that the girls here think I'm some kind of Troop rock star. Remember those twins from J-Troop? Awesome!', he exclaimed. Jake laughed with Felix, 'Right, good luck with that Felix.', he replied teasingly. 'I wonder if J-Troop will be here?' I mused aloud. Jake stiffened and his smile disappeared. He frowned and answered, 'I don't know. Do you care?', in a hostile tone. I looked at him in confusion, wondering what was behind this sudden mood swing. 'Not really, though it would be nice to see those guys again', I replied hesitantly. Jake looked hurt but shrugged it off as he turned to Felix and started joking around with him. I sighed and went to join Mr. Stockley at the reception desk.

General Point of View

'Alright guys, follow me to your room', Mr. Stockley announced to Jake and Felix who were scoping out the other troops as they waited. The boys grabbed the bags and followed Mr. Stockley and Hayley as they headed for the elevator. The elevator stopped on the twelfth floor and the Lakewood Troop piled out. Mr. Stockley smiled serenely as he led them to room 1201 and opened the door. 'Here we are!', he announced, smiling widely, 'Your room for the next three days'. Jake and Felix high fived each other and ran into the room. Hayley and Mr. Stockley exchanged amused smiles as Jake and Felix fought over who got the double bed and who got the single. Mr. Stockley chuckled as he called out to them, 'Boys, stop arguing, you're both having the double bed.' Jake and Felix stopped and stood in silence as they stared at Mr. Stockley in confusion. Hayley laughed at them, then as Mr. Stockley's words registered in her brain she too stared at him in confusion. Mr. Stockley seemed impervious to their stares and looked around the room with satisfaction.

Jake decided to break the silence. 'Um, Mr. Stockley? Why would Felix and I share the bed since there is another bed in the room?', he questioned looking apprehensive. Hayley nodded in approval at his well worded question. Mr. Stockley turned to face them and answered, 'Why, the single bed is for Hayley of course!'

The troop remained silent as the full import of his words hit them then they erupted in a barrage of outraged complaints:

'I'm a girl! I'm supposed to have my own room. This is ridiculous. My Dad would freak if he knew!', Hayley shrieked.

'If you think I'm sharing a bed with Felix you're out of your mind. This is not what I signed up for!' Jake shouted.

'I have sleep apnoea- I need my own bed!', Felix howled.

Mr. Stockley shuddered and began to inch toward the door. 'Look kids, I'm on a restricted budget. The money only goes so far. This year there were some unexpected costs so we can only afford one room for you guys. I'm bunking with the Troop advisor from Maine! We all have to make sacrifices.', he reasoned calmly. 'What were the extra costs Mr. Stockley?', Felix demanded. Mr. Stockley had his hand on the door as he replied, 'lemon squares'. In a flash the troop advisor was gone, fleeing down the hall toward the elevator as the Lakewood Troop stood in shocked silence.

'Lemon squares!', Hayley shrieked in anger, 'Mr. Stockley has an addiction. He should go to rehab.' Jake snorted in amusement and replied, 'Totally, he is in desperate need of a one-step programme- Stop eating lemon squares!' Hayley laughed hollowly as she surveyed the room which, she had to admit, was nice. Jake sat on the double bed and sighed. 'Alright guys, we can deal with this. Felix and I will share this bed and Hayley, you can have the single.', he announced. Hayley groaned but had to agree. Felix was oddly quiet. 'Felix, do you agree?', Hayley asked. Felix looked at she and Jake in apprehension and answered, 'Actually no, I can't agree. I really meant it when I told Mr. Stockley I have sleep apnoea. I have to wear this breathing mask to bed so I really need the single. It takes up space.'

Jake stared at the guilty looking Felix and groaned, 'Ugh! Could this get any more complicated?' Felix shook his head in solidarity, 'I know this sucks. Sorry guys', he answered sadly. Hayley felt sorry for Felix for being put in that situation so she pulled herself together and put her arm around him comfortingly. 'Don't worry about it Felix. Jake and I will manage. Its fine. Its no big deal really', she told him soothingly. Felix perked up immediately. 'Really? That's great Hayley', he answered, 'I'm going to check out the bathroom', he shouted as he ran towards the en-suite.

Silence descended over the room. Hayley turned toward the double bed where Jake was still sitting. He looked at her sceptically, 'You don't mind this?', he asked spreading his hands over the bed to articulate the issue. Hayley dropped down onto the bed beside him and sighed heavily. 'Its not ideal but I felt bad for Felix. After all, its Mr. Stockley's fault, not his.', Hayley replied. 'Do you mind?', she added, turning to look at Jake. Their eyes met briefly before Jake glanced away, 'No, not if you don't', he stated. Hayley smiled. Jake decided to break the tension so he started teasing her. 'Besides, we'll have so much fun. You can give me a manicure, I'll tell you secrets. We can totally make Felix jealous!', he joked. Hayley laughed heartily and stood up. She held out a hand for Jake and pulled him up off the bed when he complied. 'Come on. We should unpack before dinner', she said. Jake groaned but followed her orders anyway. Felix joined them and soon they were ready for dinner.


	3. Chapter 3

The Lakewood Troop enjoyed a late dinner in the hotel. Felix was surrounded by female fans from other troops the instant he entered the lobby so Jake and Hayley ate by themselves at a quiet table in the corner of the restaurant. Without Felix there to placate them they descended into their usual bickering.

'That's my ketchup. I asked the waiter for it' Hayley fumed as Jake helped himself to the sauce. 'It's for the table' Jake answered, rolling his eyes in her direction. She huffed crossly but didn't respond. They sat in silence for a few minutes before it started again. 'Hayley...stop tapping on the table. It's annoying' Jake snapped. Hayley bit her lip to keep from retorting, settling for flicking Jake's ear with her index finger instead. He whined in pain and shot her a baleful look. They couldn't seem to stop snapping at each other.

Jake sighed when they were finished eating and stood. 'You ready to go back to the room?' he asked Hayley. She nodded and stood too. The hotel lobby was busy and full of other troops arriving for the Convention. Jake placed his hand on Hayley's lower back absent-mindedly as he guided her through the crowd toward the elevator. Hayley blushed lightly at the contact, her earlier annoyance with Jake forgotten. _He can be so sweet without even thinking about it_, she thought.

They reached their hotel room and found it in darkness. Felix hadn't returned yet. Jake flicked on the light switch and held the door open for Hayley. She thanked him quietly and grabbed her pyjamas. She headed into the bathroom to change and get ready for bed.

Jake sat on the edge of the bed feeling nervous. His palms were sweaty and his mouth was dry. _I'm about to sleep in the same bed as a girl. Not just any girl either. It's Hayley,_ he thought frantically. He tried to calm down before Hayley came out of the bathroom. He tried not to think about Mr. Steele and his large shot-gun, and the very real possibility that he would murder Jake for sharing a bed with his daughter. _'Damn Mr. Stockley's lemon-square addiction_, he thought anxiously.

Hayley chewed on her lower lip nervously as she changed for bed in the en-suite bathroom. 'You can do this Hayley!' she encouraged herself mentally, 'It's just Jake, your buddy Jake. It means nothing'.

The mental encouragement wasn't working and Hayley sighed as she went to brush her teeth- again. 'Unless you want it to mean something, because you _like_ him!' her mental voice continued. Hayley stared at herself in the mirror and considered it. Could she like Jake, as more than a friend? She looked confused, and then brushed it off casually. 'No way!' she thought emphatically, 'I do not like Jake romantically. The idea!' Here she gave her characteristic snort of amusement and finished up in the bathroom.

She stared at the bathroom door for the few seconds, and then mentally berating herself for being so silly, she squared her shoulders and resolutely opened the door and stepped into the bedroom. Felix had returned and was sitting on his single bed setting up his sleep apnoea monitor.

She was met with a blinding grin from Jake who was sprawled on the bed. 'There you are! he stated cheerfully, 'we thought you might have choked on your toothpaste you took so long!' Hayley's stomach did somersaults at the sight of him and she blushed at his words and teasing tone. 'Oh crap'she realized frantically, 'I do like Jake!'

Hayley tried to mask her reaction to Jake by snorting in false amusement, 'Oh ha ha', she responded sarcastically. She took his spot on the bed as he took his turn in the bathroom and tried, and failed, to ignore the triumphant chuckle of her inner voice, which had claimed all along that she liked Jake. 'What does it matter anyway, it's not like he likes me!' she scolded the inner Hayley who was cheering gleefully at the realisation.

Five minutes later Jake emerged from the bathroom with tousled damp hair and wearing plaid pyjama bottoms with a Lakewood High t-shirt. Hayley, who had assumed she would have her own room, had packed her favourite pyjamas- pink shorts and a cream vest top with pink piping. The shorts which showed most of her long, tanned legs suddenly felt inappropriate when rooming with two boys.

Felix seemed to remain oblivious to Hayley's attire and was currently fussing with his sleep mask. Jake, on the other hand, stopped dead in front of the bathroom door and stared at Hayley, his eyes widening. His brown eyes, normally so cheerful, now reflected more intensity than Hayley had ever seen him display. Hayley blushed and hopped off the bed where she had been sitting. 'So, which side do you want?' she asked in a cheerful voice, hoping to snap Jake out of his trance and to mask the effect which his intense gaze had had on her.

Jake shook his head slightly at her words and gave his characteristic grin. 'I'll take the left' he said cheerfully, though he didn't actually have a preference.

Felix emerged from the bathroom then and hopped into his bed, yawning widely. He fixed a large breathing mask over his face and lay down, bidding a muffled 'goodnight' to his troop mates. He leaned over and clicked off the light switch beside his bed, leaving that side of the room in darkness. Jake called out 'goodnight buddy' and climbed into the double bed.

Hayley was filled with apprehension as she approached the bed. 'This is so awkward!' she thought in embarrassment.

Jake watched Hayley walk slowly towards the bed. Her face was flushed and she looked hesitant. Jake, so used to the tough, strong persona Hayley portrayed daily in the troop, was surprised by her timidity. He decided to try to make the situation easier for her and pulled back the corner of the blanket on her side of the bed. 'Here you go Hayley, hop in!' Hayley smiled and climbed in, lying down and pulling the blanket up over her body. 'Thanks Jake', she responded as she switched off their light. They lay there in silence for a couple of minutes, a gaping chasm of space between their bodies.

The silence was broken by Jake. 'You know, this shouldn't be awkward at all. After all, we've already slept in each other's beds!' he stated quietly. Hayley laughed, remembering the cube monster which had switched she and Jake's bodies. 'It's different this time, we're actually in the same bed at the same time', she answered dryly, keeping her voice low so she wouldn't wake Felix who was now snoring softly. Jake smiled in the darkness, hearing the familiar bite return to her tone. This was his Hayley, smart and always sure about everything.

'I guess,' he replied, 'but it's not so bad. I'd still rather share with you than with Felix'. Hayley giggled, feeling more relaxed. She waited until she heard Felix snore before admitting, 'I'd take you any day over Felix'. Jake smiled happily, he had been afraid that Hayley might prefer Felix to him because Felix was intelligent like her.

'Thanks Hayley, that means a lot. I thought you might prefer him to me' he said hesitantly. Hayley was surprised by the genuine reply; she was used to Jake covering up his feelings with banter and snappy retorts. It was how they operated. Still if Jake could be sincere so could she.

She turned on her side facing Jake, who was laying on his back, ' I don't.' she answered softy, 'I definitely don't prefer him, okay?' Jake stayed still, gazing at the ceiling, his chest filling with relief. Hayley meant so much to him. He took a breath and then turned to face Hayley. She was a blurry outline in the dark room. He reached out and touched her hand. 'I'm happy to hear that' he stated sincerely. Hayley smiled and curled her fingers around his hand. Both were exhausted after a long day spent travelling and soon fell asleep.

Felix woke at six am and stumbled sleepily to the bathroom. On his way back to bed he paused beside the double bed. His fellow troop members were fast asleep. Jake was lying on his side with Hayley curled in close to him her head resting against his chest and Jake's arm placed protectively around her waist. Felix raised his eyebrows in surprise. He suspected that cuddling like this extended fat beyond the normal boundaries of friendship. He shook his head blearily as he climbed back into his bed and readjusted his sleep mask. His last thought before he fell asleep again was to wonder when his two friends would realise the feelings they had for each other. It had been obvious to him for months.


End file.
